This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
LG Twins (8-4) vs Samsung Lions (4-9)
Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (0-1, 7.84 ERA) vs LHP Chae-heung Choi (2-0, 3.27 ERA)
Game Preview
The Twins and the Lions enter this game trending in opposite directions. The Twins' 10-6 against the Lions on Tuesday was their seventh victory in their last eight games. They now sit in second place with an 8-4 record, trailing only the 11-1 Dinos. Meanwhile, the Lions fell to 4-9 as their losing streak reached four games. Only the lowly Wyverns (1-11) trail them in the standings. The Twins will aim to for their second win in a row by sending Tyler Wilson to the mound, while the Lions will counter with lefty Chae-heung Choi. Wilson allowed two runs in six innings the last time out, while Choi has undoubtedly been the Lions' best pitcher with four runs allowed in 11 innings across his first two outings of the season, earning the victory in both.
Injuries
Woo Seok Ko – Twins – 10-Day IL – Knee
May 18 - The Twins announced Sunday that Ko underwent arthroscopic surgery to address meniscus and MCL damage in his left knee, Jae-hyung Roh of The Chosun Ilbo reports. He's expected to be sidelined for at least three months while rehabbing from the procedure. After recording a save in one of his two appearances this season, Ko reported the knee injury to the club Thursday before he was sent in for further evaluation.
LG Twins (8-4) vs Samsung Lions (4-9)
Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (0-1, 7.84 ERA) vs LHP Chae-heung Choi (2-0, 3.27 ERA)
Game Preview
The Twins and the Lions enter this game trending in opposite directions. The Twins' 10-6 against the Lions on Tuesday was their seventh victory in their last eight games. They now sit in second place with an 8-4 record, trailing only the 11-1 Dinos. Meanwhile, the Lions fell to 4-9 as their losing streak reached four games. Only the lowly Wyverns (1-11) trail them in the standings. The Twins will aim to for their second win in a row by sending Tyler Wilson to the mound, while the Lions will counter with lefty Chae-heung Choi. Wilson allowed two runs in six innings the last time out, while Choi has undoubtedly been the Lions' best pitcher with four runs allowed in 11 innings across his first two outings of the season, earning the victory in both.
Injuries
Woo Seok Ko – Twins – 10-Day IL – Knee
May 18 - The Twins announced Sunday that Ko underwent arthroscopic surgery to address meniscus and MCL damage in his left knee, Jae-hyung Roh of The Chosun Ilbo reports. He's expected to be sidelined for at least three months while rehabbing from the procedure. After recording a save in one of his two appearances this season, Ko reported the knee injury to the club Thursday before he was sent in for further evaluation. The Twins' medical staff quickly determined that Ko would require a scope to address the knee issue, rendering him unavailable through at least early August. With Ko out of the mix, manager Joong-il Ryu indicated that Sang Gyu Lee will be the Twins' primary closer, while Woo Young Jung is the next man up behind Lee.
Hyung Jong Lee – Twins – Out – Wrist
May 10 - Lee, who suffered a fractured wrist in a preseason game, is expected to return in late May or early June, Newsis News Agency reports. Lee broke the fifth metacarpal in his left hand, but he should be a big part of LG's offense when he returns after hitting .286 with 13 home runs and an .800 OPS last season. Yong-taik Park has received more playing time as a result of Lee's injury.
Jung Hyun Baek – Lions – 10-Day IL – Calf
May 12 - Baek will miss at least a week with soreness in his left calf, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. It's not clear how much time Baek will miss, but he will be out at least one week according to the KBO's roster rules. Baek garnered the Opening Day start for Samsung, but he has clearly not been himself this season, allowing eight earned runs in 10.0 innings over two starts.
Young Jin Choi – Lions – Out – Not Injury Related
May 13 - Choi was demoted to the minors on Monday, Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reports. A corner infielder by trade, Young played the outfield last week and struggled, leading to the decision by manager Huh Sam-young to send Young to the minors to get more outfield reps. "He's a capable infielder, but he needs more reps in the outfield," Huh said. "We decided to give him some time to work as an outfielder in the minors."
Hun Gon Kim – Lions – Day-To-Day – Thumb
May 19 - Kim (thumb) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against LG, according to Samsung's official Twitter account. Kim will not start for a third straight game as a result of his injury. He remains on Samsung's active roster for now, so it seems likely his absence will not extend much further.
Seong Gyu Lee – Lions – 10-Day IL – Head
May 16 - Lee was removed from Samsung's first-group entry Saturday, according to the team's official Twitter account. It's not certain why Lee was taken off the roster, but it likely has something to do with him taking a pitch off his helmet just a couple nights ago.
Ben Lively – Lions – Day-To-Day – Hand
May 19 - Lively (hand) is not expected to miss his next turn in Samsung's rotation, Sung Yoon Park of SPOTV News reports. Lively left his last start Sunday in the second inning after being struck on his pitching hand by a battled ball, but tests taken since have revealed no more than swelling, and it does not appear he will miss any additional action. Lively is currently lined up to take the ball Saturday against Doosan.
Seunghwan Oh – Lions – Out – Suspension
May 13 - Oh is sitting out the first 30 games of this season for a suspension first levied back in 2016, due to an incident that occurred in November 2014. The former Cardinals and Rockies reliever has a long history of pitching well as a closer for Samsung. A tweet from 2018 from former FanGraphs writer and current Lotte Giants employee Sung Min Kim describes the situation, and a 2016 article from Criz Hombrebueno of CalvinAyre.com details the actual incident the suspension stems from. Upon return, Oh will be a candidate to resume his closing duties for the Lions.
LG Twins Expected Lineup:
SP - Tyler Wilson
2. Hyun Soo Kim
7. Ji Hwan Oh
8. Kang Nam Yoo
Samsung Lions Expected Lineup:
SP - Chae-heung Choi
1. Sang Su Kim
2. Dong-Yub Kim
3. Ja Wook Koo
4. Won-seok Lee
5. Hak-ju Lee
7. Hun Gon Kim
8. Min-Ho Kang
9. Hae Min Park
Top picks:
Min Seong Kim, Twins: Kim returned from a two-game absence Tuesday to plate two runs with his only hit. He's hit safely in all but two contests this season and even though he's yet to hit the ball out of the park, he's been a productive hitter due to his stellar .432 on-base percentage.
Roberto Ramos, Twins: Ramos might not have the upper hand in this contest against a southpaw like Choi, but he's been hitting the ball so well that he merits consideration nonetheless. Ramos has gone yard five times already while hitting safely in 10 of his 12 games. The only reason why he doesn't get the captaincy nod here is because he is facing a lefty.
Chae-heung Choi, Lions: The Lions have a weak pitching staff, but Choi seems to be the exception to the rule. He has won his two starts this season while allowing just four runs and striking out 12 in 11.0 innings of work. To make things better, the fact that he's left-handed gives him a boost against some of the Twins' most dangerous hitters. If the Lions pull off the upset, Choi will need to be at his best.
Hyun Soo Kim, Twins: Kim continues to produce regardless of who's on the mound for the opposing team and extended his hitting streak to four games with a 2-for-5 day Tuesday. He's hit safely in all but one game this season while recording six multi-hit performances.
Captaincy Options:
Dream11 Team
P – Chae-heung Choi
C – Kang Nam Yoo
IF – Roberto Ramos (VC)
IF – Min Seong Kim (C)
IF – Sang Su Kim
OF – Hyun Soo Kim
OF – Chun Woong Lee
OF – Eun Seong Chae
OF – Hae Min Park
